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Weapons expert Lucien Haag: "Either pulled the trigger completely or already pressed it"

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Luis Sanchez Saturno/AFP

In a trial surrounding the fatal shooting on the film set of "Rust," the testimony of a weapons expert has raised doubts about actor Alec Baldwin's previous defense strategy.

Baldwin claims that the fatal shot at a camerawoman occurred without him pulling the trigger of the gun.

The actor is expected to stand trial for negligent homicide starting in July and had already pleaded "not guilty" when arraigned.

While filming the low-budget Western "Rust" on a film ranch in Santa Fe, camerawoman Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot by a gun that Baldwin was holding.

Armsmaster Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently on trial.

She was responsible for the use and safety of the weapon during the shooting and has also pleaded not guilty.

At the trial, firearms expert Lucien Haag demonstrated how a revolver like the one Baldwin was holding worked.

This is reported by the AP news agency and various US media.

Haag also demonstrated the safety precautions that are intended to prevent a fully cocked hammer from being fired and ammunition being fired if the trigger is not pulled.

Haag reportedly said he had seen no evidence that the weapon could have been manipulated to make it fire faster.

An FBI expert had already testified on Monday that the revolver used by Baldwin was fully functional and had security features when it arrived at an FBI laboratory.

The expert said he had to hit the fully cocked gun with a tool hammer and break it so it could fire without pulling the trigger.

Weapons expert Haag now testified that he and a colleague then reassembled the weapon with only one damaged part - the so-called hammer, which is not identical to a tool hammer - to demonstrate that the safety precautions continued to work.

Safety mechanisms worked in the experiment

A video was also shown showing an experiment with Baldwin's weapon, in which the cock that fires a weapon was pulled back and released several times - and was caught each time by a safety notch.

Following the demonstration, prosecutor Jason Lewis asked whether this meant that the shooter had to have "fully cocked the revolver and pulled the trigger to fire it."

According to the weapons expert, this was the case: "Either the trigger was fully pulled or it was already pressed," said Haag.

Haag's statement casts doubt on Baldwin's assertions that the fatal shot was fired without him pulling the trigger on the weapon.

This contradiction could play a role in the trial against him.

Gutierrez-Reed also told investigators ahead of the trial, according to the AP, that Baldwin had made phone calls during a firearms training session for Rust.

Maybe he was distracted.

How live ammunition could get onto the set remains unclear.

Gutierrez-Reed's trial continues.

sol/AP